The Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport provided a $649 million boost to the Upstate in 2017, according to a study by an Asheville-based economic analysis company.

Results of the study, released Monday, showed that the airport supports 14,817 local jobs and generates $294 million in annual state, federal and local taxes. Also, visiting airline passengers spend an estimated $740 million annually in the Upstate, according to SNYEVA Economics.

The numbers reflect an eight-fold increase in the past decade, which GSP President and CEO Dave Edwards attributed to the growth in Upstate business.

"We're a reflection of the Upstate," Edwards said. "The numbers we see in this study offer a strong indication of economic upswing in the Upstate."

The study determined that GSP contributed an impact of $2.9 billion in 2018 compared with $377 million a decade earlier. The study surveyed GSP’s involvement in commercial development, the GSP International Logistics Park, and air cargo and passenger services, which have all significantly increased at GSP in recent years.

“The study proves that GSP has a significant impact on the region’s economy," Edwards said, "and we know there’s still plenty of room for continued growth."

SYNEVA Economics, which provided similar studies in 2009 and 2012, this time included fve additional counties in the GSP footprint. In addition to Greenville and Spartanburg counties, the newest study tracked impact in Anderson, Laurens, Pickens, and Union counties.

Workers unload machinery for making auto parts that was delivered from Germany on an Antonov An-124 jet with a winspan of almost 241 feet at GSP in this 2006 photo. International air cargo flights on a charter basis have touched down at the airport for years, but GSP gets its first regularly scheduled service in November.(Photo11: Owen Riley Jr.)

In recent years, GSP has significantly expanded its economic profile through the expansion of air cargo and passenger services. GSP established the GSP International Logistics Park in 2013, which now supports 1,978 local jobs through automotive-related manufacturing operations, transportation/trucking services and other business activities, according to the study. It is located adjacent to the S.C. Inland Port.

In 2017, the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport District began Cerulean Aviation to provide fixed-base operator services and to continue providing air cargo support. Since then, GSP’s cargo numbers have increased nearly 39 percent and the airport moved from No. 84 to No. 72 on the Federal Aviation Administration’s list of largest cargo airports.

BMW was the major catalyst for the growth, Edwards said, "and now we're seeing cargo growth from other companies as well. That's what has driven our cargo from two daily flights a week to six, and we'll flex up to nine or 10 flights at certain days of the year."

Senator International, a German freight-moving company, began routine cargo flights between GSP and Munich, Germany, in November 2016. At the time, GSP was the only airport in the Carolinas, and one of only six in the Southeast, to offer regularly scheduled, all-cargo flights to and from overseas destinations.

In fiscal year 2018, Cerulean supported more than 1,200 cargo flights including scheduled flights to Europe and Mexico.

To meet growing demand, GSP will open new cargo facilities in 2019, including a 110,000-square-foot warehouse and a 13-acre cargo ramp to accommodate up to three Boeing 747-800 aircraft simultaneously.

That is part of a Phase II master plan that Edwards expects to be operational in the second quarter of 2019.

Edwards doesn't see the current tariff war as a threat to cargo growth.

"I haven't seen anything to date, in talking to our clients, that would indicate a downturn," he said. "We might see a slowing of growth in some areas, but also an increase in others. It will depend, of course, how much and how long tariffs are an issue. But I think we'll be fine."

Last week, the GSP Airport Commission unanimously approved an update to the master plan for growth. It featured $456 million in projects over the next 20 years, which included the expanded cargo facility under construction and a third parking garage.

In September, the airport added an $800,000 parking assist system that enables travelers to find available parking spaces. That system experienced its first major holiday test last weekend.

"I think it worked extremely well. At one time, we were down to 66 available spaces, which tells us we're almost at capacity. We're behind the curve on finding more parking space," said Edwards, who hopes a scheduled addition of 450-500 economy spaces will help.